"Kajiya" A Traditional Stay
Located in the deeper part of the Iya Valley in Higashi-Iya (also called Oku-Iya), Kajiya Iya Romantei sits on a hillside overlooking Higashi-Iya's small "downtown" village of Kyojo. The name "Kajiya" means "blacksmith" or "iron-smith" and refers to how this old house was once the location of Iya Valley's metal working shop.
Nowadays, the house maintains its traditional style and is full of antiques, featuring exposed wooden beams, sliding paper shoji doors, and a large central irori fireplace that is centerpoint of the house and used for cooking meals. Kajiya also offers a now-rare goemunburo outdoor bathtub which is heated from below by a wood fire, and guests are encouraged to help "fire up" the bath for the evening.
Aside from helping with the fire and chopping wood, guests are also welcome to contribute with preparing the meals, which usually feature a range of traditional dishes using local Iya ingredients.
Only one set of guests are taken per night (so you would not be sharing the house with other people) and sleeping is in traditional Japanese style futons in the tatami mat guest room.
With great mountain views from both the bath and the balcony's large barbecue space, Kajiya is located about a 30 minutes drive from JR Oboke Station and about 1 hour from Mt Tsurugi. For those without a car, the local buses stop a few hundred meters from the house, or you can arrange with the owner for a pick up. Its central location also means that it is convient to all of Iya sights.
"Shino-san" A Welcoming Host
One of the most stimuating parts of staying at Kajiya is the engaging host, "Shino-san". Originally from the port city of Takamatsu on the north coast of Shikoku, he first started coming to the Iya Valley in the 1980s. It was in 2002 that he found the Kajiya house, where for the first 10 years or so he used it as his own personal retreat where he invited both new and old friends. He then re-established the house as an official guesthouse in 2014, and since then has hosted visitors from across Japan and around the world.
Everywhere in and around the Kajiya house Shino-san has added his own personal touch. His vast collection of Japanese antiques and whimsical trinkets are displayed within the house, while his outdoor bathhouse and balcony take a nautical theme featuring an array of maritime articles, inspired by his hometown roots out on the coast.
For many guests, one of the more alluring highlights would be his huge sake collection and unique "sake shrine". Inside Kajiya he has dedicated an entire room to Japan's signature alcohol, with over 200 bottles of sake from every prefecture in Japan. And best of all is that he does not offer any for sale but instead provides a unique exchange with any guest: as long as you bring him a bottle to donate to his collection, in return you will be able to sample as much as you'd like all night from any of his extensive assortment!
Shino-san also makes one-of-a-kind New Years Greeting Cards every year, and you can see his collection of cards on this page here.
Above all, Shino-san looks for his guests to have a one-of-a-kind experience. He has extensive knowledge about Iya and its history, and though he only speaks a bit of English, he does his best via his cell phone app to translate and communicate with everyone.
Enjoy your stay!
Read more about staying at Kajiya Iya with Shino-san:
Interested in reading more about Kajiya Iya? Here's a 3 Part article in English detailing Shino-san's interest in running his guesthouse as well as one guest's experience staying here:
"A Real Countryside Experience – Staying at Kajiya Iya Romantei in Miyoshi’s Iya Valley"
